Why Honoring Your Loved One’s Final Wishes Is Important

After a loved one passes, there are many decisions to make in a short period of time, often without any kind of guidance. However, in some instances, loved ones leave behind plans for their burial or cremation, including a pre-paid interment space and other instructions for their family members to carry out. In some cases, these plans take some family members by surprise or cause conflict between surviving family members, especially when religious preferences or other strongly held beliefs are in question. What should you do if your loved one’s final wishes are at odds with your own beliefs or preferences? Every situation is different, but these are some of the reasons that others who have been through these circumstances recommend honoring your loved one’s wishes.

Avoid Making Emotional Decisions

After a family member passes away, you’re likely to feel a range of emotions. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the loss, you may make decisions that you wouldn’t make in other circumstances with a clearer head. By following your loved one’s wishes, you don’t have to worry about making an emotional decision, since you can simply implement the plan that he or she has created.

Respect Your Loved One’s Choices

If people have the chance to make their final wishes known, they are often happy to have been able to have some control over a difficult situation. Going through the process of planning also tends to force people to think carefully about what is important to them. Even if you don’t understand all of your loved one’s choices, you can assume that they were made purposefully and with the expectation that you would honor them.

Find Comfort in the Grieving Process

Fulfilling your loved one’s wishes is one way to pay tribute to his or her memory and demonstrate your caring. As time goes on, you may find that you take comfort in the fact that you honored your loved one’s wishes.

At Inglewood Park Cemetery, we can help you make decisions about interment spaces, burial, and cremation with our pre-planning services. To discuss your needs with our team, call our cemetery in the Los Angeles area at (310) 412-6500.